Times Square becomes one of the first places to visit for almost every person who comes to New York. This is not surprising at all, because it is one of the most popular attractions in the United States, along with the Statue of Liberty.
History
Times Square is a plaza in midtown Manhattan at the intersection of the acclaimed Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It received this name at the very beginning of the 20th century due to the head office of the worldwide popular newspaper The New York Times, which moved there. True, in 1913 it was moved to another building. At that time, the square was gradually turning into a cultural center of New York with many theaters and concert halls.
However, with the onset of the Great Depression in 1930, Times Square's reputation was tarnished. Until the 1990s, it became a place for erotic shows, brothels, sex shops, sex salons, theaters for adults, kiosks with cheap souvenirs for guests of the city. New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani began the fight against this situation. He tried to cleanse the area of drug dealers and shut down entertainment venues to reclaim Times Square as one of the top destinations, attract tourists, and start building first-class hotels. In 2002, the new mayor, Michael Bloomberg, took office, taking the oath in Times Square.
Times square today
Nowadays, New York's main New Year's event takes place there - a large crystal ball is lowered from the One Times Square building at midnight on December 31, marking the beginning of the New Year. This tradition has its origins in the fireworks launched in 1907 by the staff of the New York Times. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people come to see this spectacle, who fill the square and all the surrounding streets. They are waiting with bated breath for an exciting moment - the start of the New Year. The event has been televised for over 40 years.
Times Square today is a super-modern neighborhood with an abundance of neon signs that make it look like Las Vegas. There is a TV company that hosts the Good Morning America program, many theaters and music halls, and business centers. The entire financial and business elite of the United States of America is concentrated in it. Cars do not drive on it, the area is completely given over to the power of pedestrians. It is always noisy and crowded here. Times Square is recognized as the most visited place in the world. It is here, according to residents and guests of the city, that the heart of New York is located.
Only here you can feel yourself in the center of the megalopolis events, visit a beautiful fairy tale, as if descended from one of the many advertising posters. A surge of energy, mental and physical strength is provided when visiting this place. By the way, this is the only part of the city, the inhabitants of which are obliged to place colorful banners on the facades of buildings. At the end of 2008, billboards appeared in Times Square, powered by solar and wind energy, which do absolutely no harm to the environment. The hallmark of the place is the banner of the NASDAQ stock exchange, striking in its huge size. Advertising space costs the company $ 2 million annually.
Times Square has a webcam that broadcasts an online image to a huge monitor installed in the same building and to the World Wide Web. You can see not only the general view, but also the satisfied faces of passers-by taken in close-up.
Times Square movie
The plaza's world fame is added by the many films and video games in which it appears. So, for example, in the films "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Collision with the Abyss" it was she who was subjected to destruction, and in "Children in Times Square" she is the main place of events.
Broadway shows, which are well-received in Times Square, are also very famous. In addition, the popularity of such stars at all times as the actor and director Charlie Chaplin, the actor and choreographer Fred Astaire and the composer Irving Berlin are connected with this place and Manhattan.
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Entertainment
Thanks to the measures taken by the authorities to combat crime, the area has become one of the most desirable for tourists. The most famous restaurants and boutiques, cinemas and offices of famous world companies are located here. There are also huge hotels, a revolving café, and even the world's largest toy store, where even an adult is difficult not to lose his head. The order is kept vigilantly by the police, whose large office is also located in the square.
After looking at the flickering advertisements and offices of famous companies, you can visit the Madame Tussauds located in a 10-storey building. It contains over 200 wax figures of celebrities - show business stars, politicians and actors. And those with a sweet tooth will surely like the assortment of the house of sweets Hershey’s. You can buy tickets for a variety of show programs at the Information Center, which is open seven days a week from 8 am to 8 pm.
A living symbol of Times Square - an almost naked cowboy, has been walking the streets for more than a decade. He not only plays guitar and sings, but also has the legal right to register marriages.
After walking through the square full of people and bright from billboards, you can get to the most beautiful place - Central Park, which is recognized as one of the best on the planet. Here you can sit in the shade of trees and take a break from the hustle and bustle.
Less crowded in Times Square at night. It is this time for a walk that should be chosen by those who do not like to be in a crowd. Even at 3 o'clock in the morning, the square is lit by a multitude of neon signs and LED panels as high as a 40-storey building. The photographs taken will definitely turn out bright and positive.
In order to examine the area in detail, one day is not enough. Here you can easily find entertainment for yourself for a week - attending shows, theater performances, shopping in malls or tasting delicious dishes in restaurants.
Only by plunging headlong into the atmosphere of this place, seeing huge skyscrapers with bright illumination, finding yourself in the center of a seething flow of people, you can decide for yourself whether those who consider Times Square a symbol of New York and even the "crossroads of the world" are right.
